


Where you go I'll follow

by hentaihorseface



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Childbirth, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mpreg, Past Infidelity, Voltron: Legendary Defender Season/Series 08 Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24167434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hentaihorseface/pseuds/hentaihorseface
Summary: Keith sighs and kneads at the pressure at his lower back with the heel of his palm, only half-listening to whatever report Kolivan is currently debriefing him on. At this point in his pregnancy, he's been delegated to menial tasks that he can easily manage with about half his brain power. He'd refused the demotion at first; he was a former Paladin of Voltron after all and managed leading relief missions just fine in his first 2 trimesters. However, after a simple food aid mission left him with a pulled back tendon and feet so swollen he could barely extract them from his uniform boots, he begrudgingly accepted his fate as glorified secretary to the Blades; at least until this baby was out of him.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 136





	Where you go I'll follow

**Author's Note:**

> repost of a twitter thread i did awhile ago for easy reading! :)
> 
> https://twitter.com/weepinbelll this is the only thread i've done so far but i really wanna make more. would love some more pals to bounce sheith ideas off of over there!

Keith sighs and kneads at the pressure at his lower back with the heel of his palm, only half-listening to whatever report Kolivan is currently debriefing him on. At this point in his pregnancy, he's been delegated to menial tasks that he can easily manage with about half his brain power. He'd refused the demotion at first; he was a former Paladin of Voltron after all and managed leading relief missions just fine in his first 2 trimesters. However, after a simple food aid mission left him with a pulled back tendon and feet so swollen he could barely extract them from his uniform boots, he begrudgingly accepted his fate as glorified secretary to the Blades; at least until this baby was out of him.

"Keith?" Kolivan's brow worries. "Why don't we sit down to discuss-"

"I'm fine," Keith snaps, swiftly replacing the hand on his back into crossed arms on top of his belly. He may have accepted his fate, but that doesn't mean he has to like it.

Keith rolls his eyes hard when Kolivan puts up his hands in a placating gesture. He'd least expected Kolivan of all people to treat him like glass throughout his pregnancy, but here they were 8 months in and no sign of the Galra leader's paternal instinct wavering. He'd come to appreciate the doting on by Kolivan and his mother after work hours when every muscle in his body ached and he was moody and all he wanted was a damn cheeseburger - the two had traveled a galaxy away to the nearest space mall to satisfy that craving more than once. During the workday, however, he'd rather maintain some sense of normalcy, especially when the daunting reality of this kid's escape from his womb is coming increasingly near.

"Kolivan, please. Let's just wrap this up. I have to double-check trajectories for the refugee mission to Klaris," Keith bites out a little more petulantly than he intends to.

"That was all regarding this mission, but-" Kolivan abruptly cuts himself off, mouth pressed into a thin line as if reconsidering. Keith narrows his eyes. While Keith has grown familiar with new sides of Kolivan over the years, his blunt way of speaking has remained consistent.

"Okay, why are you being weird?" Keith raises an eyebrow when Kolivan discreetly glances around the vicinity around them, making a visual sweep for onlookers. Then, Keith's being pulled gently into an alcove in the hallway outside of the main office.

"Keith, I'm... sorry if I'm crossing a line by telling you this, but I think you should know. Some Garrison diplomats are returning to Earth from a mission in a nearby quadrant." Keith's stomach drops. Kolivan wouldn't be telling him any of this, unless...

"The Atlas is experiencing a technical issue, so they signaled us for assistance. We've invited them to stay on base in the meantime."

Keith's heart squeezes painfully in his chest, and his mouth goes dry. "Wh-when? For... how long?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know exactly. They signaled us about a varga ago. Depending on what types of repairs are needed, they could be here from a few quintants to a full movement."

Keith is shaking. He knows that much. He also knows that nobody besides his mother knows who the father of his baby is; he's kept that information under a tight lock and key and the Blades have respected his boundaries regarding it. He's not deaf to the gossip that surrounds him, though with the wedding and news of Admiral Shirogane's happy marriage making it to the Blades months before Keith was forced to announce his pregnancy, timing has mostly quashed that line of thinking.

Kolivan knows. Kolivan's always known, Keith thinks, even if he's never outright been told. He wants to thank Kolivan for the foresight and he tries to, but all that comes out is a hiccuping little whine that sounds so pathetic he scrunches his eyes shut out of embarrassment.

He feels a steadying hand on his shoulder immediately feels sick to his stomach at the rush of nostalgia and emotions the simple action brings. Keith tenses and Kolivan's hand falls. When Keith opens his eyes, he expects to see Kolivan's pitying gaze in his line of vision. Instead, he sees Kolivan's eyes pitch to the side, ear twitching back in time with a fleet of Garrison officials rounding the corner of the hallway.

The next chain of events seems to happen in slow motion as Keith's heart beats heavy in his throat. Acxa leads the fleet of men and women, flanked by Commander Iverson on one side and Shiro on the other. Iverson speaks gruffly with Acxa, something to do with the ship repairs. Shiro listens in with a sober smile on his face, the one Keith knows he reserves for diplomatic moments like these when his attention isn't vital and his interest is waning, but he's trying to put on a polite facade.

So it doesn't surprise Keith when Shiro spares a half-hearted glance to the other end hallway where he and Kolivan stand. The first glance is harmless. The double-take is what decides Keith's fate. When his and Shiro's eyes meet, he knows his cover is blown.

He just barely processes the widening of Shiro's eyes as they spare a split-second glance down the length of his body; the human traffic-jam Shiro causes when he pauses in his tracks, stumbling when someone behind him steps on his heel; Iverson's and Acxa's startled glances towards Shiro, then to Keith where Shiro's eyes are locked. Even when the wolf materializes in front of them, large enough to hide Keith's body, he knows it's too late. Still, he clings onto the wolf's fur like a lifeline.

When Keith opens his eyes, he's in his room. He draws in a shaky breath and leans against the wall, eyes unfocused and blurry. 

_Fuck_.

The wolf whines, reaching down to nudge at his belly, then face and Keith automatically responds by scratching him behind the ear. 

"Thanks, buddy," he smiles, making to rest his cheek against the wolf's furry face.

Before he can complete the action, however, the wolf momentarily blinks out of existence. Keith wrinkles his brow, confused - the wolf has never left Keith in times of distress like this. But when the wolf pops back into his room with a companion, Keith instantly understands.  The wolf must know the baby's scent by now, Keith reasons. He must think he's doing Keith a favor by bringing his baby's father into Keith's den, must think _this_ is what's going to calm Keith's nerves, protect Keith's kit.

The only thing Keith can do at the sight of his wolf sitting proudly at his feet, tail wagging, with a bewildered and anguished-looking Shiro in tow is squeeze his eyes shut and bang the back of his head against the wall in defeat.

"Keith..." Shiro whispers, sounding lost and sad and reverent all at once. Keith pries his eyes open, only to glare at the ceiling and huff out a loaded breath.

"Okay. Okay," Keith nods his head and licks his lips before steeling himself enough to face his visitor head-on.

Keith lets his eyes meet Shiro's for a split soul-crushing second before tearing his gaze away and distracting himself by stroking the wolf's fur, in spite of his bad behavior.

"So... I guess we're doing this," Keith plows on before he can lose his will.

Shiro verbally flounders before he pulls himself together enough to produce real words. Keith can't help the way his heart tugs at the pavlov effect it has, physically forcing down the way his lip wants to quirk up.

"Wh-doing _what_? What are we doing?" Shiro flusters.

Keith scoffs and gestures emphatically to his entire being. "I don't know, addressing any questions you have about-about _this_?!"

Shiro's cheeks redden, but his eyes soften and he runs a hand through his bangs. "Keith, I guess - I just don't really know where to start."

Keith rolls his eyes back up at the ceiling, willing the universe to create a tear in time that will swallow him whole.

"I mean, we haven't talked, we haven't seen each other in _months_ , Keith-"

"Yeah. Nine of them. To be precise," Keith clips out.

Shiro's breath hitches at that and he pauses. Keith can feel Shiro's eyes roam over his body from his peripheral, eyes resting warily on his belly.

"Yeah. Precisely," Shiro agrees slowly, tone leveled. Then, in a much smaller voice, "It is... _mine_ , right?"

Keith barely suppresses a gasp and quickly bites his bottom lip to stilt the impending wobble. His eyes sting, so he closes them. "Whose else?" Keith breathes, voice barely sustaining from cracking.

Shiro lets out a breath through his nose. "I just had to make sure," he says, tone gravelly, uneven much like Keith's. Then, much quieter, "Why didn't you tell me?"

The hurt and betrayal laced into those words makes Keith's heart jump from his ribcage into his throat. He wants to scream and cry and shove at the man standing before him because how _dare_ he pose that question as if it were something so simple? As if Keith hasn't been agonizing about his decision for months on end, unable to find a solution where everyone gets out of this colossal clusterfuck unscathed. Instead, he swallows and grounds himself, finally allowing himself to meet Shiro's eyes.

"You _know_ why, Shiro." Shiro's eyes widen a fraction at that, brow screwing up in momentary confusion. He trails his gaze meaningfully down to the gold ring on Shiro's left finger. When Shiro follows it, his eyes screw shut like he's in pain and he shakes his head.

"Keith, that's not fair," Shiro whispers, voice cracking. He works his hand into a fist, covering the wedding ring from view. That's what it takes for Keith to finally snap. His measured composure leaks out of him in a heavy sob that immediately has him covering his mouth. Shiro takes a step forward, Altean arm reaching out as if on instinct.

Keith waves it away, shaking his his head and roughly scraping the tear trails off his cheeks. " _Don't_ ," he rasps.

Shiro's hand falls slack against his side, mouth twisting like he wants to say something else. The wolf whines and sniffs at Keith's face, like he's also confused and hurt by Keith's reaction. Keith almost wants to laugh, but instead he gently bats the wolf's face away.

"Keith, if you'd told me I would have-" Shiro blurts out, desperate, and Keith curbs the urge to snarl in response.

Instead he roughly cuts him off, "You would have _what_ , Shiro? You would have told your husband all about the affair you were having with your best friend?" Shiro looks like he's about to interject, so Keith wildly rages on, "All about how we fucked in his apartment? How many times we fucked on the _bed_ you two share? Oh yeah, and who could forget that quickie the morning of your wedding? I wonder if that's what did it."

Here, Keith scoffs bitterly and lowers his gaze to his belly, the fight draining from him in an instant. He can feel his-their child wiggling around, likely stirred awake by the commotion. Keith takes in a deep breath, hand smoothing down the expanse of his stomach to calm down.

Keith doesn't miss the way Shiro's gaze fix on that point, brows knitted together, eyes glassing over. When silence stretches long and tense before them, Keith relents tiredly, "Anyway, it doesn't matter now-"

"I would have. I-I _will_ ," Shiro insists and Keith freezes.

Keith's heart hammers in his chest and he wants to stop this all here, wants Shiro to rise to that challenge, but- "Shiro, you wanna talk about _not fair_?" Keith asks, barely a whisper and Shiro cocks his head, almost imperceptibly.

"What's _not fair_ about all of this is that if Curtis is as good a man as you've made him out to be, as good as a man as he seems-" Keith pauses, gulps, and grounds himself by clutching a patch of the wolf's neck scruff. "-you two will eventually work things out and come out of it with a child - _my_ child-"

"Keith, I would _never_ -" Shiro is shaking his head, face pale and looking mildly horrified.

"-while I'm stuck playing third wheel parent to your picture-perfect family. And maybe that's selfish, but - I can't. I just can't do that, Shiro," Keith shakes his head, blinking back the tears.

"You don't _have_ to do that, Keith," Shiro's voice is soft, pleading.

Keith can't help it - he laughs, the taste of it bitter on his tongue. "Okay, so what's option number two then, Shiro? Huh?" Keith goads, tears obscuring his vision. "You tell Curtis. You _don't_ work things out and I-" Keith can't bring himself to continue. He's crying freely now, tears hot on his cheeks. It's stupid, embarrassing, how much he doesn't want to admit to Shiro- "I _can't_ be your second choice, Shiro. I can't live with that, either," Keith bites out through his tears. He briefly registers that Shiro's crying, too.

"I'm not asking you to be. Keith, please, just listen to me-"

"No!" Keith yells, pounding his fist hard against the wall behind him. Shiro and the wolf both flinch in time, comically in any other situation, but it's the signal the wolf needs to connect the dots.

Shiro tries to approach again, but this time the wolf places himself in front of Keith, lowers his head and growls. Keith buries his face into the wolf's fur and holds tight, Shiro's anguished cry of "Keith, please!" ringing in his head.

Keith knows he's been teleported to his mom's office the moment his knees buckle to the floor. His face is stubbornly still buried in the wolf's fur but he feels her presence before he feels the steady hand up and down his back, and her measured whispers of, "It's okay."

"Mom, it's _not_ okay," Keith murmurs, rubbing his tears into the wolf's fur before peaking up; the instant their eyes meet he knows she knows exactly what has just happened.

"It will be, Keith," she says and she sounds so sure he scoffs out a disbelieving laugh.

"Yeah? How do you know that?"

"We knew this was going to happen eventually, Keith," his mother sighs gently, continuing to rub a soothing hand up and down his spine. Keith tenses, winces when she realizes she's referring to the ignored messages and calls from Shiro that had steadily piled up over the months. He hadn't had the heart to block Shiro's contact on his datapad; what started as frantic near-daily messages tapered off into resigned check-ins, the most recent one coming in a little over 2 weeks ago. Keith has never read beyond the, "Hey Keith"s or "Hope you're doing well"s.

"Yeah, well I didn't think he'd come all the way here," Keith mumbles miserably. His mom laughs.

"Well, that couldn't have been helped..." she hums, then adds as an afterthought, "probably." Keith shakes his head. Shiro better have not sabotaged the Atlas just to corner him.

"You need to hear him out," she continues softly, petting his bangs back.

"Mom, I _did_ , I-," Keith pauses and worries his bottom lip, because he knows he didn't really. "I gave him an out. I don't understand why he can't just thank me and move on."

"Maybe an out isn't what he wants."

"Yeah, well _I_ don't want to raise my kid intergalactically," Keith can't help but shoot back, even if it's not the real issue by a long shot.

"Keith," his mother grips him firmly by the back of the neck, guiding him to look back up. When they lock eyes, a shiver runs down Keith's spine at the emotions swirling in his mothers eyes; hurt, regret, resolve. "As a parent, you're going to have to do things you don't want to do," his mother says meaningfully.

Keith's breath hitches and his eyes burn with shame. "Mom, I'm sorry-"

"Sh, don't apologize. Even if that's the reality, it doesn't make things any easier," his mom smiles sadly, resting her forehead against Keith's own.

"Just make sure those hard decisions," she pauses, resting a gentle hand to the curve of Keith's belly, "are guided by this one. Right here." Keith closes his eyes against the stinging and covers his mom's hand with his own and squeezes.

"Yeah," Keith agrees, opening his eyes to return his mother's soft smile with a watery one of his own. "You're right, mom. Thanks."

"Any time, kid," his mother's smile widens a fraction and she pulls him into a tight hug.

"I know you'll do what's best. I love you so much, Keith," his mom breathes into his hair and Keith tightens his hold around her middle, burying his face into her neck.

"Love you too, mom," he whispers.

*

It's been a full day since Shiro's encounter with Keith. Not for lack of trying on Shiro's part; between running Atlas tests and impromptu Coalition meetings, Shiro knows he's been wandering the base like a lost puppy, and he's sure the Blade members know it, too. He's virtually memorized the layout of all the common areas, restrooms, offices at this point. The Blades have enough decency to largely ignore his awkward stumbling in and out of rooms, but he's gotten enough raised brows directed at him to realize he's not going unnoticed.

He's used his Datapad to message Keith on the off-chance Keith looks at them, but they remain unread, much like the dozens of others he's sent over the months. Shiro sighs when his third pass by the break room is unsuccessful.

"Shiro." Shiro startles and whips around to find Acxa standing raising a brow at him, hands on her hips. "He's on maternity leave." Shiro blinks.

"W-what?"

"His maternity leave started yesterday. That's why you haven't been able to find him."

"O-oh. Um-"

"Now can you stop sneaking around the base? It looks really suspicious. You're starting to freak people out," Acxa says, matter of fact and Shiro feels his face heat up. Before he can get a word in, Acxa fixes him with a sharp gaze and takes her leave.

Shiro groans, leaning back against the wall and and gently knocking the back of his head against it. When he opens his eyes, Kosmo is sitting directly in front of him. Shiro yelps, stumbles back, knocks his head on the wall again. Shiro raises his hands in surrender, trying to communicate to the wolf that he means no harm as best he can. Instead, Kosmo simply approaches him and snuffs at his neck, whines a little, then licks his face.

"What...?" Shiro starts, baffled.

Shiro tentatively pats at Kosmo's head, confused. "Hey, boy... what's with the sudden change of heart?" Shiro chuckles humorlessly. "Not that I deserve it, but-" Before Shiro can continue the thought, he's a blip in space and time.

When reality materializes again, he's standing in the exact same spot in Keith's room he was a couple days earlier. This time, Keith is lounging in the middle of his bed in casual wear, Datapad resting delicately on his bump; at least until he looks up to see Shiro there.

The Datapad unceremoniously drops down on the bed and Keith, with some difficulty, scrambles up on from his elbows so that he's leaning against the headboard.

"Shiro-"

"Keith, I-," they start at the same time, both in the same startled tone.

Keith's eyes flicker over to Kosmo, sat beside Shiro wagging his tail, a perfect mirror image of the start of their previous meeting. Keith closes his eyes and blows out a heavy breath. "You have _got_ to stop doing this, buddy..."

Shiro gulps.

"Keith, I'm sorry," Shiro blurts out before he loses his nerve.

Keith shakes his head and smiles sadly. "It's okay. It's not your fault he likes you so much. He can, uh, probably smell..." Keith trails off to pat at his tummy. Shiro gets it, but he still turns beet red.

Then, he blinks and furrows his eyebrows together. "Wait, Keith. I'm not talking about-" Shiro gestures to Kosmo and takes an aborted step towards Keith's bed. Keith raises his brows and Shiro rambles, "I mean, I _am_ , but-"

"Shiro..."

Shiro's breath leaves him on a heavy sigh.

"Can I...?" Shiro motions to the edge of the bed. Keith glances down, then back up at Shiro with an unreadable expression, but nods nonetheless. Shiro seats himself at a safe distance from where Keith is crowded at the headboard.

"Listen, Keith... I'm sorry about... _everything_. All of this could have been avoided if I'd just-" Shiro cuts himself of on a self-deprecating scoff, blinking back the tears already stinging at the backs of his eyes. "-if I'd just been honest with you from the start."

"What do you mean 'from the start'?" Keith asks quietly.

Shiro pauses, collects himself, before looking up at Keith and meeting his eyes. "From the moment I realized I was in love with you," Shiro says steadily, in spite of the way his heart beats wildly in his chest.

Keith's breath hitches and his eyes water in an instant, fat tears that threaten to spill over. "Shiro, please don't do this," Keith whispers, voice thick, expression pained.

"It was the moment I woke up after you saved me from the astral plane and saw you. That's when I knew."

"Shiro," Keith pleads, voice cracking. His tears spill over in earnest and he quickly wipes them away with his sleeve.

Shiro smiles sadly. "After the clone, I-I didn't trust myself anymore. I didn't think I deserved your trust, I didn't think I deserved _you_."

"So when we started fooling around all those years later, I just thought - I'd take whatever you offered me, even if it meant betraying Curtis-"

"I was offering you _everything_ , Shiro," Keith whispers, pained.

"I know. I'm sorry. I should have have realized. It was so stupid, but I had this idea in my head, if you asked me to leave him...," Shiro pauses, licks his lips and wipes roughly at his wet eyes. "I would have."

"You _idiot_ ," Keith laughs wetly, then plows on, angrily, "do you have any idea what kind of position I was in?"

"I know, Keith," Shiro says in what he hopes is an even tone. "I realize that now and I know can never make it up to you, but...," he sighs through his nose, pauses and takes in a steadying breath. "I'm divorcing Curtis."

"What?" Keith spits out, eyes wild, searching out Shiro's ring finger. Shiro unfurls his fist to reveal a bare finger; Keith's bug eyes narrow in on it skeptically. He'd packed the ring in his luggage after their previous conversation. 

"Just like that?" Keith's voice wavers, irises darting rapidly back and forth between Shiro's eyes and ring finger. Shiro maintains leveled eye contact with Keith and nods once. "As soon as I get back to Earth."

"I'm not in love with him, Keith. I never have been, and... I'm not asking or expecting anything of you, I want you to know that. I'm just trying to do the right thing." Shiro bites back the nausea in the back of his throat, blinks back the tears as he stands up.

"I'm going to support you and-your child," Shiro forces out with some difficulty. "However you need me to. I'll pay child support, of course. Beyond that, it's all up to you," he says with a tight-lipped smile.

Keith frowns at him, tears stained on his cheeks and face red.

Shiro opens his mouth to thank Keith for hearing him out, but he's interrupted by a soft scoff. "Shiro... stop being so noble. Isn't that partly what got us here in the first place?" Keith offers him half of a tired grin and Shiro's heart flutters in his chest.

"Look... I know, I'm-not blameless here either," Keith says. Suddenly his eyebrows twist up and the breath seems to leave him all at once. He brings a hand down to his belly to massage methodically across the widest part.

Shiro's about to ask if he's okay when Keith schools his face back into a neutral expression and carries on, " Obviously, it takes two to do _this_ ," he pats his belly and Shiro can't help but laugh tearfully. "And I could have been more forthcoming, too," Keith continues. "I'm... sorry for ignoring you all these months when you were trying to reach out. And for keeping you in the dark. You deserved to know."

"Keith, please don't apologize-" Keith fixes Shiro with a hard stare that has his clamping his mouth shut.

"Listen, I guess it's obvious, but... I love you, too, Shiro. You've always been it for me. And even though things are really fucked right now, we've been through worse, right?" Shiro shakes his head, brings his human hand up to his mouth to cover the smile he can't suppress.

"Yeah, you'd think saving the universe multiple times would put things into perspective, huh?" Shiro's grin widens. Keith laughs, bright and beautiful.

"You'd think so," Keith agrees wryly.

A short silence stretches between them, strikingly calm and unhurried before Keith speaks again. "Let's just- go one step at a time, yeah? We've got more important things to worry about, so," Keith huffs sparing a soft gaze down at his tummy.

"Of course, Keith," Shiro agrees breathlessly.

"I meant what I said before, though," Shiro says, scratching the side of his cheek. "I'm happy to support you two in whatever way you need."

"Okay, Shiro," Keith smiles. "Why don't you just start by... being here _now_? For me _and_ your daughter."

Shiro gasps, eyes blurring instantly with another onslaught of tears. His _daughter_ , Keith had said. Keith opens his mouth to say more but the reply dies on his throat and turns into something guttural. He grasps his belly with one hand and the sheets with the other.

Shiro is by his side in an instant, kneeling beside the bed. "Keith?" he tentatively reaches out his flesh hand; he instantly realizes that was a mistake when Keith automatically responds by crushing it with a vice grip. Shiro winces, but holds fast as Keith rides out the pain.

After steady minute of Keith writhing on the bed and cracking Shiro's bones, he falls back against the pillows with a sigh of, "Ooh, that was a big one."

Shiro knits his eyebrows together, jaw working as he connects the dots. "Keith... are you...?"

"Oh yeah. Uh. I guess I forgot to mention. I'm kind of... in labor?" Keith shrugs a shoulder and Shiro _gawks_.

"How long have you-" Before Shiro can get the rest of the inquiry out, there's a knock at the door and Krolia enters with a bundle of supplies in her arms.

"Keith, how are your contractions-?" Krolia starts, but when her eyes raise from the bundle in her arms, she blinks owlishly at Shiro. "Oh. Shiro."

"Yes! Hello! Ma'am. Um-" Shiro stutters, getting to his feet and lifting his hand into an automatic salute.

Krolia looks back and forth between Shiro who's stock-still and definitely starting to sweat, to her son who is snickering beside him. "So, I'm guessing you two _talked_ ," Krolia directs meaningfully at Keith. Keith's smirk melts into a soft smile as he nods the affirmative.

"Great," Krolia stalks towards Shiro and he flinches back, but she only holds out the pile of towels to him. Shiro dubiously holds his arms out and she deposits them there. "Set these up on the bed. I need to grab a few more things," she instructs, leaving no room for argument. She turns back towards Keith and her face softens. "Honey, how far apart are your contractions?"

"About every 3 minutes or so for the last hour?" Keith estimates and Shiro's jaw drops. "They just started getting really bad with the last one, though-shit-"

Keith grimaces as another contraction hits and Shiro rushes back to his side to offer his _Altean_ hand as a support this time. Keith takes it gladly, and with the force of his grip, Shiro can't help but be concerned that he's going to dent the metal.

"I've got you," Shiro breathes.

*

Five hours later, Keith is bunched up towards the headboard with Shiro behind him holding him steady, and his mother between his legs with a towel at the ready. He groans at the pressure, head slamming back onto Shiro's shoulder in agony. Shiro mercifully releases more of his scent so that Keith can greedily inhale, with has done wonders to relax his nerves, but unfortunately, slim to nothing when it comes to the pain.

"Augh! _Fuck_!" Keith cries, lifting a knee up to hook an arm around it as he bears down.

"There's the head, Keith, you're almost there," Keith blearily registers his mother's steady tone as a burning sensation lights up the entire lower half of his body that makes him shake uncontrollably.

"I-can't-oh my _god_ ," Keith grunts through his teeth. Hot tears spill down his cheeks, the fight threatening to leave his body.

"Keith, you're so strong. You're _right there_ , you can do this," Shiro's voice is sure in his ear. He gently lifts Keith's other leg, human hand firmly stroking up and down his thigh in encouragement.

Shiro's hand gently pries his leg up enough that Keith can use the leverage to _push_ , harder than he had in the last hour. White hot pain blankets him, stomach dropping and then suddenly he's throbbing with an emptiness he's never felt before.

A gasp from Shiro, a " _Great_ job, Keith", from his mother, and then a gargling cry from his newborn has Keith collapsing his entire weight back into Shiro.

"You did it, Keith," Shiro's wet voice sighs into his ear, palms soothingly stroking up and down Keith's arms.

Keith smiles, eyes sluggishly tracking his daughter as his mother gingerly places her on his chest.

"Hi there, little one," Keith coos, one hand instinctively going to her bum to support her while the other cups the back of her head, thumb stroking tenderly up and down her back.

"Oh my god," Shiro sniffs quietly, messily, behind Keith.

"Congratulations, daddy," Keith lilts tiredly, leaning back to grin at Shiro who looks about a hair away from breaking into an outright sob.

"Thank you. Thank you for letting me share this with you," Shiro blubbers.

"Sure," Keith smiles, warmth radiating in his chest as his daughter squirms and coos. "I'm glad you could be here."

"Me too," Shiro says, earnestly, reaching a hand to stroke up and down their daughter's back.

Keith leans back once more to catch Shiro's watery gaze, a resigned, tired, but ultimately, _happy_ understanding there. There's going to be a ways to go from here; wounds to be reopened and mended, trust to be rebuilt. It's new territory, but at the same time it's _not_.

But true to his word, Shiro's never given up on Keith and Keith is willing to try as many times as it takes to get this 'family' thing right with Shiro, dysfunctional though they may be. Keith laces their hands together on their daughter's back, and it feels like a promise.


End file.
